Added August 3, 2011 by 395 Comments

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Small Business + Google Plus = A Sound Investment

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Small Business + Google Plus = A Sound Investment

Does small business + Google Plus = a sound investment? Google Plus is brand-spankin’ new; as such, it hasn’t officially launched profiles for businesses yet. (In fact, Google will remove your profile if you attempt to brand it solely for your business – they’re currently “discouraging businesses from using regular profiles to connect with Plus users.”)

Still, there’s some very good reasons why you should use it now as a tool to grow your personal and small business presence online.

Why getting on Google Plus early is a smart move for your small business

Plus is a perfect place to humanize your small business

It allows people who are in your industry to approach and connect with you on a casual level. It’s person-centric, conversational approach to social networking is also ideal for entrepreneurs who are looking to raise their credibility by associating with more established, better connected leaders. Use the “Circles” feature to segment people into groups and use “Sparks” to chat with up to 10 people at a time about topics important to your business.

Connecting with your customers on a personal level is always a great idea

And Google Plus is the perfect place to do just that. Search for, connect and converse with current and past customers. Share interesting content that matters to them. Most of all, be helpful and don’t ask for anything in return. Plus isn’t the place to promote special offers or constantly plug your business – doing that will turn people off. Until there are business features, keep it all about connecting on a personal level.

You’ll be utilizing all the small business advertising options Google will offer

While not available quite yet, you can bet that numerous must-have small business marketing tools from Google (like Places, Adwords, Adwords Express, Check in and Offers) will be integrated into the Plus experience for small businesses.

The early bird gets…the customer!

Delaying getting on Plus can be detrimental to your chances of seeing results from it in the long-term. Sure, you can argue that it’s new, untested and may or may not catch on. Or you can recognize that Plus is gaining steam (20 million+ users in the first month or so!), anticipate what the search giant is capable of bringing to the social networking table and poise yourself and your business to take advantage of what’s to come. Don’t be left behind!

Small Business Tip

Remember Google’s reach! Getting in on the ground floor of Plus will ensure you don’t miss a beat when the site integrates all of it’s preexisting small business resources.

Have you tried Google Plus yet? If so, tell us what you think. If not, tell tell us what’s holding you back.

Image source: Google Plus

About Kevin HaynesFollow Kevin on Twitter

Kevin Haynes is the founder of WebMaxed.com. His personal mission is to make internet marketing easy and fun to learn for small business entrepreneurs (trust him, it's possible!). Kevin is a creative entrepreneur who's into meditation, delicious wine and food, traveling, and sweatin' off calories wherever his workout takes him.

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